


Write Another Chapter

by TimetravelingArchaeologist



Category: American Actor RPF, McReedus, Walking Dead RPF
Genre: F/M, RPF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-23
Updated: 2014-09-23
Packaged: 2018-02-18 12:02:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2347793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimetravelingArchaeologist/pseuds/TimetravelingArchaeologist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When she had handed him that bouquet of flowers back in sunny San Diego it had been humorous to watch him flush and hide his face full of laughter.  But this was anything but funny. It was supposed to be her. She was the one that was supposed to have had a limited part.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Write Another Chapter

**Author's Note:**

> This story is purely fictional and is in no way meant to portray any sort of realistic view of Melissa McBride, Norman Reedus or any other celebrity/known persons named within. I own nothing but the imagination that created the story within. Rating may go up at some point, I'll keep you advised as I post.
> 
> I have been sitting on this one for awhile now so a big thank you to Clare009 for encouraging me to post.
> 
> Please bear with me on this one. This is the first McReedus story that I've given any real substance to. I have a very vague idea of where I might like it to go, but is not yet written and is subject to change with the direction of the wind.
> 
> I have two school age children, not nearly enough time, and too many unfinished things. However I hope that you'll enjoy this tale as it's spun, and will forgive me for however long it might take to weave into something more than it is now.
> 
> All errors are my own, and I may or may not play fast and loose with reality, I haven't decided yet.

CHAPTER 1

 

When she had handed him that bouquet of flowers back in sunny San Diego it had been humorous to watch him flush and hide his face full of laughter. But this was anything but funny. It was supposed to be her. She was the one that was supposed to have had a limited part. Her clock had been running on borrowed time for the last two seasons at the very least. And yet here she was, another script to memorize with another's death to mourn.

 

She had been shocked to receive the news, and hurt, she knew the tears for that scene would be real. What was perhaps worse part of it was that he hadn’t asked to leave, at least not that she was aware of. He loved his job. But she supposed that was the point. Norman might be one of AMC’s biggest cash cows but it was a twist that nobody would expect. And after the reviews from last season they might have seen it as something that would be good for the show. Norman was fantastic as Daryl, but the writing had bombed spectacularly and they just didn’t know what to do with him anymore. Every decision was one commitment or another that they weren’t prepared to make, in the end, killing him off has probably been the lesser of evils.

 

They had received the scripts early that morning, but she had yet to speak to him, and apparently nobody else had either. She knocked on his trailer door again. That would make knock number four. Nothing. he hadn't answered the previous 3 times either. She sighed and decided to try again when she was told by a passing crewman that he’d already gone home for the day. Thanking him, she turned to head back to her own trailer to wash away the remnants of the day.

 

A few hours later she was standing on his doorstep using her spare key. His bike was out front but he hadn’t answered and while he was probably fine she couldn't help but worry. The room was dark when she entered, his keys tossed haphazardously on the table next to the door, his jacket on the floor having slid from the back of the sofa where he’d probably attempted to throw it. She wasn’t really sure what it was that she expected. A phone call maybe, something to let them know that he was alright. And even if he wasn’t going to call her he could have called Andy or Greg.

 

She hadn’t used they key since he’d given it to her, but she’d been over more than a few times and was familiar with the place. She didn’t kid herself that they key to the place had been something that had been entrusted to her because she was somehow more of a friend than anyone else, though she thought maybe she was higher up on the list than some. She knew they key was in her possession because she was local and he knew she could be trusted to do whatever it was that he might need if he couldn’t do it himself. Today she had taken it upon herself to extend that to include letting herself and certain others know that he was fine and just locked away mourning the loss of his part on the show.

 

She flipped on the light and called out his name. He didn’t answer, and so she took several more steps into the house. The lights were off in the kitchen, but with the exception of a half full bottle of booze and a glass with water that had probably once been ice, it was as empty as the living room had been. She really couldn’t blame him for not having spoken to anyone yet. She knew first hand was it was like to be told that you were going to be killed off from the show, not that it compared she supposed. Daryl was an invincible character and in his time there Norman had become something of a constant for people, fans, cast, and crew alike. Carol had started out as background, half a step above being an extra. Melissa had had to fight to stay, but she knew that it wouldn’t work for Norman. Daryl was slated to meet his fate. She was going to miss him.

 

She caught a small sound coming from the hallway and took a few steps down the hallways, flipping on another light as she went. He’d probably gone to bed. She knew that she’d done that too. Opened some wine, cried a little about her character’s fate, and then gone to bed too early. She knew Laurie had done the same when they’d killed her character off. It couldn’t all be light hearted jokes through the death dinners, and upbeat promises to stay in touch. They all felt the losses across the entire cast. She just figured that Norman was going to be around to toast each of them as they made their exit, not the other way around.

 

She was at the bedroom door pushing the door wide open before she realized exactly what the noise had been. Instantly her cheeks flooded red and she felt a little sick with, among other things, embarrassment. Norman swore, stilling on top of the brunette that was underneath him, and wide eyed she whirled around to face the hallway, dragging the bedroom door halfway closed once more.

 

“Oh my god I am so sorry. I was just making sure that you’re alright, but I can see that you are so I’ll see you later. Call someone, call Andy.”

 

She barely got the words out before she hurried back down the hall, ignoring him calling her name. It wasn’t until an hour later when she was sitting at home deep in thought that she wondered if she was really checking on him to make sure that he was alright and didn’t need someone, or because she needed him to comfort her about what was happening. Because if she was honest with herself, she wasn’t sure was had been more of a painful little shock. That he was leaving them, leaving her to navigate her still new fame without his guidance on the show, or that he was drowning whatever sorrows he might have in bed with someone she’d never heard of before, and was fairly certain he hadn’t known for more than a few short hours either. Funny, she hadn’t even realized that she thought about him like that. Then again she’d never really thought any of the day's events would happen.

**Author's Note:**

> Critiques, Comments, and suggestions would be most welcome. If you wish to leave a private note please feel free to send a message my way on my tumblr, url is timetravelingarchaeologist


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